1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of communications systems, and, more particularly in one exemplary aspect to wireless systems that allow user equipment to authenticate to wireless networks (e.g., cellular networks, WLANs, WMANs, etc.) using access control clients and for the access data to be recovered if the device malfunctions.
2. Description of Related Technology
Access control is required for secure communication in most prior art wireless radio communication systems. As an example, one simple access control scheme might comprise: (i) verifying the identity of a communicating party, and (ii) granting a level of access commensurate with the verified identity. Within the context of a typical wireless system (e.g., a cellular system such as the well known Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS)), access control is governed by an access control entity or client, referred to as a Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM) (or more generally referred to as a “SIM”), executing on a physical Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC). The USIM authenticates the subscriber to the UMTS cellular network. After successful authentication, the subscriber is allowed access to the cellular network.
When a SIM card is manufactured, the SIM card is programmed with carrier-specific authentication information that restricts the use of that SIM card to a particular carrier. If a user wishes to change services from the existing carrier to a new carrier, the user needs to replace their SIM card with a new SIM card programmed in a similar way, but for the different carrier.
One benefit of physical SIM cards is that they can be removed from one device and put into another device. For example, if a subscriber damages their existing phone (without damaging the SIM card), the subscriber can still salvage their SIM card for use with another phone. However, existing SIM solutions have other weaknesses and shortcomings. For example, subscribers need new SIM cards to change SIM operation (e.g., change carriers). Also, SIM card receptacles require significant internal device board space, and contribute to the size of the overall device form factor.
Thus, desirable solutions to the foregoing issues would have the advantages of SIM card devices (e.g., recovery of subscriber specific user information) without the drawbacks of the physical SIM card itself. For instance, improved solutions for managing and accessing wireless services which do not rely on a physical card for access control would ideally include mechanisms for retrieving access data in the instance the device malfunctions.